Whether you work in an office surrounded by your co-workers, or you’re designing up your very own home office to start life as a remote employee or self-employed businessperson, there’s one thing you need to pay careful attention to – the design of your office desk. The layouts of our desks can have a huge effect on our productivity, for better or for worse. Here, we’re taking a look at what you could do to your desk to help improve efficiency and make yourself just that little bit more productive when the next big deadline is looming.
The Location
Location is everything when it comes to your desk and while not every office will allow you to choose your own desk, those with the luxury of picking a workspace or, of course, the luxury of building their very own workspace at home, can pick the right spot for them. Is your desk in the prime spot for your particular role?
If you work best when it’s quiet, getting a desk as far away from the bulk of the noise as possible is a given, but you’ll also need to consider which amenities you need quick access to. Are you constantly up and down to the printer? Try and situate your desk nearby to reduce how much time you’re spending walking from your desk to the printer.
Think About How You Work Best
The term ‘aesthetic’ has been thrown around more and more in recent years and while it can feel like an empty term at times, it’s actually something you need to consider when optimising your desk. Are you happiest when you’re around nature? Inject a bit of the outdoors into your workspace with plants and fresh flowers and pick out accessories in warm, earthy tones.
Prefer a minimalist approach? Keep your desk as clear as possible, sticking to clean colours like white and grey, with simple organisers to keep any pens, pencils and notebooks out of the way. If you’ve got a more creative job, the more cluttered look could actually work to your benefit.
Keeping inspiration around you, whether through artwork books, notebooks and more, can give you a lightbulb moment right when you need it.
Get Organised
Whether you take the drawers-and-organisers route, or you go through a full declutter to rid your office space of anything you no longer need, getting organised is a must for improving productivity. There’s nothing more distracting than disorganisation and we’ve all been guilty of spending too much time searching for something that should’ve been right there at our fingertips. Try and organise things by ‘category’ (e.g. pens, pencils, notebooks, industry books), and lay them out accordingly. If you’re notorious for losing paperwork, why not turn to paperless notes instead? Invest in a tablet and an app such as Evernote to make organised notes during meetings, for your work and more, all of which can be accessed just by opening an app.
Bring In Some Daylight
There are countless studies out there demonstrating the importance of natural light for employee engagement and productivity, so take note. Fluorescent lighting can deter you from working, either through the development of a headache, or simply because it can leave us feeling sluggish and low in motivation. Open up the windows, draw back the blinds and let the natural light in – trust us, it’ll be worth the fly or two that gets in! If you really want to encourage fresh air in the office, invest in some pot plants for the entire space, or just for your desk – each plant will produce oxygen, cleaning up the air right there in the office.
The design and layout of your desk can have a drastic effect on how productive you are and how well you’re working. Follow the tips above and rearrange your desk space to get the right layout for you.
